Main

Categories

About Liz Koh

Moneymax was established by Liz Koh, one of New Zealand’s leading Certified Financial Planners, to provide wealth creation, wealth management and wealth protection advice so that you can achieve the things in life that are important to you. Visit - http://www.moneymax.co.nz/

Author Archive | Liz Koh

Property investment is a popular way to create wealth, but many would-be property investors don’t understand the complexities of property investment or where to begin. It is essential to know how to maximize the return and minimize the risks. Here are the essential tips for first time property investors.

House prices are not only a key indicator of what is happening in an economy but they can also be a trigger for a change in economic conditions. Hence the state of the housing market comes under close scrutiny by the Reserve Bank and other Government officials. There is a very close link between house prices and inflation.

Another tax year has gone by and that is a trigger to check up on a few things. Not everyone is required to send in a tax return every year and so it is easy to let things slip by that should be attended to. Firstly, check to see if you are entitled to a tax refund.

An interest-only mortgage, as the name suggests, is one where no principal repayments are required to be made during the term of the loan. It is usual for an interest-only mortgage to be interest-only for a fixed period of time, such as two years or five years, after which it can either be converted to… Read more…

Receiving an inheritance presents a dilemma. Should it be spent on making dreams come true, or should it be conserved for retirement? A safe strategy would be to calculate the lump sum required to provide sufficient income for retirement and set that amount aside in a long term investment portfolio.

Let’s get it straight; your home is not an investment. While property appreciates in value over time, the best property to own from an investment point of view is a property that produces rental income as well as capital gain.

Starting an investment portfolio is usually somewhere near the bottom of a priority list for young people entering paid employment, who at that stage of life just want to have a good time. Of course, many employees are now members of KiwiSaver, which makes them investors, at least to the extent of 3% of their pay.

Most people dream of a comfortable retirement where a regular income flows into their bank account that is sufficient to cover more than just basic needs. For many retirees, this dream never becomes a reality.

Finding the deposit for a first home is a huge financial hurdle and around two thirds of first home buyers obtain a high loan-to-value ratio (LVR) loan. The LVR is simply the amount of lending compared to the value of the property, and an LVR of more than 80% is considered to be high.

Statistics show that at least a third of marriages and de facto relationships fail. Being aware of the financial consequences of the end of relationship means you can put in place strategies to protect the property you acquired before the relationship and protect your rights to a share of property acquired during the relationship.

he biggest expense for a young family is the cost of housing. Rent and mortgage payments are fixed costs which can only be reduced by moving to a cheaper house, so when it comes to saving money we need to look at the next biggest expense, and that is the weekly shopping bill.